Render Frames as opposed to AVI?
Yes, if you render still frames and your process is aborted, already rendered  frames are saved and you can start a new render from a different frame. More advantages are listed in in Blender manual here.

In short, set your output to still format (e.g. JPG, PNG or MultiLayer) and render the animation. Once you are finished with this, use Video Sequence Editor in Blender to produce AVI/MP4.

The detailed description includes 15 steps, which are covered in Blender manual here. AVI/MP4 approach is called "Direct approach" there, frames - "Frame sequence approach".